Anointing of Christ at Bethany - Working Proof with Manuscript Notes

Copper engraving with an arched top showing the anointing of Jesus at Bethany: Mary pours the ointment over his head while the guests, reclining at table, turn to look at her. What makes this sheet exceptional is that it is a working proof, with pencil notes in the margins and across the image itself.

The notes, in English, are correction instructions for the engraver: one reads "I have added much tone and I fear have given you much trouble", and in the right margin "look to all the... and beards". Documents like this belong to the workshop, not to the trade, and record the exchange between the draftsman or publisher and the engraver before the copper was passed.

Medium: Steel engraving, proof impression with pencil annotations
Date: 19th Century
Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.6 in (19.7 x 11.7 cm)
Condition: Two pronounced vertical creases, with small tears along the edges and toning of the paper. The image is complete and perfectly legible